Hypnotic
Ketchup Entertainment | Release Date: May 12, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
16
Negative:
4

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The TelegraphRobbie CollinMay 12, 2023
An entirely uproarious 90 minutes at the cinema which asks nothing more of its audience than that they keep their incredulity suspended for just a few seconds longer and keep enjoying the ride. Read full review
80
VarietyPeter DebrugeMay 1, 2023
This slick mix of special effects and practical ingenuity puts Affleck in a fun position, and the slightly grizzled star’s still got the clench-jawed charisma to pull it off. [Work in Progress SXSW 2023] Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperMay 12, 2023
Hypnotic is an uneven, at times mesmerizing and dazzling mind-bender of a psychological thriller that plays like a drive-in movie version of a Christopher Nolan film. Read full review
75
IndieWireChristian ZilkoMay 11, 2023
It feels like an utterly ridiculous film before you hit the multitude of twists that blow up its already-shaky premise a dozen times over. But at a certain point, the film’s commitment to its own asininity becomes so overpowering that even the most cynical viewers will have no choice but to suspend their disbelief and be sucked into its magic. Read full review
75
ColliderChase HutchinsonMay 11, 2023
When all the pieces come together, it is a work that proves to be one of the more well-rounded experiences from Rodriguez in quite some time. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubLuke Y. ThompsonMay 11, 2023
Hypnotic isn’t just refreshingly straightforward for Rodriguez, but for Ben Affleck too. Read full review
70
Paste MagazineJesse HassengerMay 11, 2023
Blended with its 2000s plot points are the expedience, blunt dialogue and noirish venetian-blind shadows of a mid-to-lower-tier 1940s genre picture – with Affleck affecting a ragged, lummox-y dignity in the lead. If this doesn’t sound actually good, well, Hypnotic is a modest picture; that’s part of its appeal, if applicable. Read full review
67
The Film StageEthan VestbyMay 15, 2023
Even if the form could be a little more wild, Rodriguez keeps his film moving at a reasonable clip so you don’t spend too much time thinking about the various ridiculous plot twists. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerMay 11, 2023
This is Rodriguez the lover of the C-movie, the kind of filmmaker that Roger Corman would have adored. Hypnotic has that run-and-gun energy, rough around the edges but not in a way that impinges on the fun. It's also Rodriguez flexing some old action muscles, with that opening heist arguably his most bruising and well-constructed practical set-piece in a couple of decades. Read full review
65
CNNBrian LowryMay 12, 2023
A spare thriller from director/co-writer Robert Rodriguez that has the feel of a “Twilight Zone” episode, with no shortage of twists along the way. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsMay 12, 2023
Hypnotic may not be clever or energetic enough to keep your mind from wandering, but it is charming in its own stumbling way. Read full review
60
Total FilmLeila LatifMay 25, 2023
Rodriguez doesn’t take his foot off the gas for the entire 94-minute run time. There’s an action sequence about every four minutes and a plot twist every 10. In a world where so many films feel bloated and overextended, the frantic pace is highly refreshing. Read full review
60
The New York TimesGlenn KennyMay 15, 2023
The movie is, if nothing else, ruthlessly efficient enough in delivering its crowd-pleasing bits that truly starving suspense genre hounds, at least, won’t necessarily mind. Read full review
60
The GuardianBenjamin LeeMay 11, 2023
The goofier it all gets, the more one starts to warm to it, leaning further away from its initial A-trappings and nestling into a far more likable B-movie mode. Read full review
58
ConsequenceJonah KruegerMay 15, 2023
Every time you think Hypnotic has fully lost you, it’ll do something just interesting enough to pull you back in. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliMay 16, 2023
Affleck is at his best playing wisecracking supporting roles (like in the recent Air, which Affleck also directed) and at his worst as an action hero. He sleepwalks his way through Hypnotic, doing little to rouse the audience from its own slumber while failing to generate any sparks with his co-star, Alice Braga. Read full review
50
Screen DailyTim GriersonMay 13, 2023
Hypnotic’s funhouse spirit eventually dissipates as it becomes clear that Rodriguez is mostly stealing from better pictures, never fusing them into a captivating new whole. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleBob StraussMay 12, 2023
There is a great deal of movie-backlot sleight of hand that looks fine while you’re watching, but when you think about it comes off as mostly façade. In that way, at least, Rodriguez successfully links form to content. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshMay 11, 2023
It’s fun to see [Rodriguez] color in new shades of film genre, but the script and performances in “Hypnotic” are too laughably absurd to take seriously. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyMay 10, 2023
It’s watchable enough, but ultimately has the counterfeit feel of a filmmaker dabbling in a genre that’s not a natural fit and finding little joy in it. Read full review
50
SlashfilmChris EvangelistaMay 10, 2023
All of this is very silly, but there's nothing wrong with that! In fact, Hypnotic would be a lot better off if it learned to lean into that silliness. Instead, Rodriguez keeps everything very dour, and while he injects some life here and there via action beats (the bank robbery scene is quite well-staged, as are several chase sequences), the filmmaker can never really get "Hypnotic" working. Read full review
50
The PlaylistRodrigo PerezMay 1, 2023
Hypnotic features a well-crafted suspense sequence or two, a couple of clever twists – but also some wildly stupid ones, and a bone-headed over-explainer ending that treats the entire audience like dopes. [Work in Progress SXSW 2023] Read full review
40
Screen RantPatrice WitherspoonJun 9, 2023
Rodriguez as a filmmaker has a history of implementing creativity and inspiration in his works. But with Hypnotic, the end result is a dull feature that doesn’t come close to its potential. Read full review
40
We Got This CoveredMatt WaytMay 15, 2023
You can only chip away at reality so far until everything in 'Hypnotic' starts to feel sketched and feckless. Any type of resolution reads as either disingenuous or completely unearned, as viewers were never invested in the characters' emotional journeys in the first place. Read full review
40
IGNSiddhant AdlakhaMay 12, 2023
Hypnotic, starring Ben Affleck, is a sci-fi thriller by Robert Rodriguez with few hints of sci-fi, thrills, or Robert Rodriguez. Read full review
40
EmpireKevin EG PerryMay 12, 2023
A grumpy Ben Affleck can’t save this confused thriller that has as many twists as a trepanning drill, and is about as likely to leave you feeling lobotomised. Read full review
40
Rolling StoneDavid FearMay 11, 2023
One of the movie’s major plot points hinges on the ability of some especially gifted psychics being able to erase their own memories. What we would not give for that particular power right about now. Read full review
38
Movie NationRoger MooreMay 11, 2023
It’s easy enough to follow, but annoying in that we know we’re wasting brainpower piecing this pointless jumble together. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineDerek SmithMay 11, 2023
The film is a pointlessly complicated house of cards that crumbles due to its own hollowness. Read full review
35
The Daily BeastNick SchagerMay 10, 2023
A B-movie with a C+ premise and D-minus execution, the last of which largely falls at the feet of director Robert Rodriguez. Read full review
30
TheWrapTomris LafflyMay 10, 2023
Sadly, the film is a tedious and erratically cut caper, whose shape-shifting story feels like an uneven and over-plotted rehash of various recognizable films that we’ve seen before. Read full review
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